My children love Christmas. They adore the Elf on the Shelf, who comes to observe them and then report their behavior back to Santa. (A little evergreen espionage, anyone?) With all the ornaments, wrapping paper, cards to be written, and garlands to be hung, they are in sensory overload. Sugarplums aren’t merely waltzing in their heads. No, they are breakdancing, hip-hop spinning, and contorting themselves in all kind of jingly, jangly ways. My kids are jazzed.

Amid all the prep work for the holidays, and the homework that they’ve had to complete, Tommy and Jane have been busy. They’ve done their schoolwork and their extra-curricular activities: including singing in the church choir, the school chorus, and caroling at nursing homes and hospitals to raise spirits. They are pooped, but still focused on having the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

To my surprise, my daughter, Jane, sent an invitation to me. She slid it under my office door and scurried away, trying to be as stealthy as our house elf, Stockings. I caught her in mid-retreat, however.

She asked for me to take a break from my work and help her with a poem she was putting together. It was a thought she had rumbling in her head and she wanted to put it on paper. We fleshed her creation out together, and I was so touched by its honesty and its sentiments that I am sharing it with you. It’s my cyber Yuletide gift to all of our Teddy Bear & Friends readers.

I hope its simplicity and sincerity moves you.

“A Bear’s Noel Wish”By Jane Lederman and Stephanie Finnegan

I have a teddy bear that sits on my bedAnd I often wonder what’s in his head.He looks so calm, so peaceful, so sweet,That I know he’s not dreaming of what to eat.He’s adorable, cuddly, and very smart.He is filled with stuffing and full of heart.I wish I knew what he was wishing.Since he’s a bear, maybe it’s salmon fishing?But when I look at his face, and I stare into his eyes, What bounces back to me is no lie.His wish for me is to be happy, safe, and warm. It’s for me to hug him forever in my arms.My bear’s Noel wish is to be by my side,And his joy and faith he can’t hide.So let’s all be like our teddy bears this Christmas Eve, It’s okay to wear the love for our family on our sleeves.